Assignment 1: Applications of the Scientific Method
Due Week 4 and worth 160 points
Thescientific method is useful in problem solving and decision-making in awide variety of fields. In this assignment, you will demonstrate how touse the scientific method to make decisions and solve problems in yourfield of study or everyday life.
Write a three to five (3-5) page paper in which you:
- Explainthe scientific method and describe the overall manner in which youwould apply it in your field of study or everyday life.
- Identifya specific problem often faced in your field of study or everyday life.Research your problem and assess your data / research. Examples of suchproblems could be:
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- Business
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- Developing a new product that is superior to competitor’s brands; or
- Establishing a price for a new product using the law of supply and demand;
- Information Systems and Technology
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- The use of personal electronic devices for work purpose, or
- Determining in the most cost-effective computer for your business;
- Criminal Justice
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- The reliability of eyewitness testimony, or
- Determining what evidence is revealing to you about a crime;
- Everyday life
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- Selecting a particular brand of detergent, or
- Determining the most cost efficient transportation/route for your commute.
- Proposeone (1) testable hypothesis to explain / solve the problem. State theexpected outcomes of your actions and include criteria for determiningwhether or not these actions would succeed. Note: Your hypothesis should be stated very precisely.
- Describethe main actions that you intend to put into place to test yourhypothesis that you proposed in Question 3. Describe the way in whichyou would evaluate the success of your program. Include the results thatyou would deem as a success and the results that would be considered afailure.
- Discussthe wisdom behind the strategy you used to test the hypothesis fromQuestion 4, and describe the additional steps you might take dependingon the results of your test. Note: These additionalsteps might be to revise your original hypothesis (if the results wereunsatisfactory) or to propose new hypotheses. The goal is tocontinuously improve your understanding of the factors influencing youroutcomes, to be able to achieve greater results over time.
- Use at least two (2) quality resources / references in this assignment. Note:Wikipedia and personal blogs do not qualify as quality resources. Thebody of the paper must have in-text citations that correspond to thereferences. Integrate all sources into your paper using propertechniques of quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing, along with properuse of in-text citations to credit your sources.
Your report must follow these formatting requirements:
- Betyped, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), withone-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APAor school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additionalinstructions.
- Includea cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’sname, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The coverpage and the reference page are not included in the required assignmentpage length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
- Apply concepts in physical sciences to evaluate current trends and issues in the modern world.
- Describethe physical processes influencing climate and weather, including theroles of natural and anthropogenic activity on climate.
- Use technology and information resources to research issues in physical sciences.
- Write clearly and concisely about physical sciences using proper writing mechanics.
Click here to view the grading rubric.
